Importance Of Living In Wild

Wildlife belongs in the wild that is what most humans believe. But it is also humans who are responsible for the loss and depletion of wildlife. We have grazed down forests to built houses and malls and consequently, a lot of animals have lost their natural habitat. So is it really wrong for a family to keep bears in their backyard? The more important question is how did they even come to raising bears and how did they tame them, if at all? The story is of a family in Florida and it goes back almost a century- the first time a bear came in their family. Since then, the bear family in their backyard has only grown.

Bearadise Ranch

The first bear in the Welde family was introduced in 1946. It has been 91 years now and it is now a tradition for the current family members to be taking care of the bears. The Bearadise Ranch in Florida is a huge open space, suitable for bears’ habitat. Till now the Welde family has provided a home to polar bears, black bears and grizzly bears in the last 90 years. Currently, it is Monika Welde who is the President, Owner and Senior Trainer at the Bearadise Ranch. She says, “My bears are a part of my family,” and after seeing their pictures together, we are left in no doubt that she treats them all lovingly.

A Tragedy Too Soon

Monika is actually Jhonny III Welde’s wife, which sort of made her an outsider in the family. The family tradition of having the bears became dicey when quite recently Jhonny III, the caretaker and the patriarch of the family died of a heart attack just after he turned 60. Monika said, “I know the bears miss him, they do notice his absence.” She continued, “but our son and I decided to continue the family legacy and go on for my husband.” Monika decided to not let anything happen to the Ranch and she along with her son Jhonny IV who is 27 years of age, decided to take the responsibility.

Hand Raised 14 of ’em!

The Bear Ranch is Jhonny IV’s inheritance and Monika has been taking care of these bears for 37 years now, but how do they manage it? Monica has been in the Welde family for 37 years and she has handraised the 14 bears who currently live in the Bearadise Ranch. When asked if she prefers bears more than humans she laughed and said, “Yeah, sometimes I do.” Well, there is got to be something really interesting and inspiring about these bears. She informed that “Over the course of 91 years some bears have been born in the family, some have been adopted.”

The Heir

Monika, in an interview, said that “My son has been raised with the bears, he has been interacting with them since he was a child,” and Jhonny IV went on to confirm saying that, “I have been around the bear since I was 3 years old… They are like family to me, I see them every day so they’re just my siblings basically.” He told his routine, “I go out and take care of the bears, feed them, clean them, interact with them a little bit, you know, talk to them.” He further told that they “let them out in the habitat so that they can run around, play… be bears.”

Lucy And Tootsie

Lucy and Tootsie are 8-year-old female bears and the really cute bear on top of the stone is Misha. She is one of Kenai’s sister and is 5 years old. Jhonny IV said, “To us they are very safe. They are not keen on strangers, which is understandable, we have raised them so, to us they are very very sweet.” The fact that the bears adapted to and love the Welde family is the proof that no matter how strong or dangerous an animal is, it always responds to love and attention and Monika and Jhonny IV made sure there was no dearth of that.

Fred And Ginger

These are Fred and Ginger, they are both 23 years old- European Brown bears. Jhonny IV said, “We had both of their parents and their siblings and when they are born they could fit in the palm of your hand. My mom hand raised both of these from cubs.” Fred weighs around 800 pounds and Ginger weighs 400 pounds. A full grown male healthy bear weighs around 700 pounds and female around 350 pounds. Fred’s weight is the proof that the family is taking good care of the bears.

Licenced To Take In Bears

Adopting bears is not as easy as adopting a dog or a cat. The Welde family is licensed to adopt bears. By converting their backyard into a bear friendly environment, the Welde family have proven their worth to be able to take care of these wild beasts. Keeping animals in confinement means robbing them of their natural habitat and restricting their movement. Welde family have especially gone out of their way to make the bears feel one with nature. They also take care to provide them with a good diet and loving environment.

Wonderous

Surprising right? It might seem like an easy an light task to be looking after a family of bears but imagine having to feed and bathe 400-1000 pound creatures daily, it is a humungous task and a lot for just two people to take care of. Jhonny IV actually gave up an academic career just to look after the bears. For him, the family legacy holds more importance and he plans to take full responsibility of Bearadise Ranch even after his mother.

In times when humans are clearing out forests and killing bears for their skins, the Welde family has taken upon them to save and nurture as many bears as they physically can.